Wrench



F. C. HERBY June 24, 1924.

WRENCH Fil-ed Dec. 11 1922 IN VENTOR fiedenc Charles lzerlgy Patented June 24, 1924.

' WRENCH.

Application filed December 11, 1922.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FREDERICK CHARLES HERBY, citizen of the United States, residing at No. 610 West Seventh Street, Jamestown,

5 in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in wrenches, particularly of the adjustable type in which the movable jaw is operated by the actuation of a worm.

Wrenches of this general character have 15 been found objectionable because the worm tends, under certain circumstances, to loosen and change the adjustment of the jaws. This is particularly the case if the wrench is laid aside for a moment so that when it is again picked up it is found necessary to readjust the movable jaw.

The primary object of this invention is to provide simple automatic means which function to hold the movable jaw in the desired position by preventing any rotation of the worm and resides particularly in the provision of a spring-pressed pin which bears against a notched surface at the end of the worm.

A number of devices of this general character have been produced but they differ from the construction here shown in that either the worm is held against rotation merely byv the application of friction or that the worm is positively held by holding means which must be applied positively.

Other objects reside in the details of construction disclosed in the following specification taken in connection with the drawing which forms a part thereof and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in sec tion, of a wrench embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the rear face of the worm; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The wrench comprises a handle 10, preferably located at an angle to the wrenchhead 11 which head comprises a fixed jaw 12 and amovable jaw 13. The jaw 13 reciprocates in the guide 1a in the wrench-head and is actuated by a worm 15 which engages teeth 16 provided in the lower edge of the movable jaw. The worm 15 is carried upon Serial No. 606,164.

a screw 17 which is threaded into a recess 18 in the wrench-head 11. Thedetails of construction set forth above are all old and well known in the art and no novelty is claimed therein.

The rear face 19 of the worm 15 is provided with a plurality of radial grooves or depressions, the upper faces of which are in a plane parallel to the plane of the engaging surfaces of the jaws 12 and 13. In the wrench-head 11 below the recess 18 is provided a pocket 20 which has an enlarged outer portion 21 and an inner portion 22. In the outer portion 21 is mounted a pin 23, the outer end of which terminates in a point 24. In the inner portion 22 of the pocket 20 is provided a spring 25 which bears against the rear face of the pin 23.

The pocket 20 is so located with reference to the worm 15 that the point 24 of the pin 23 is held by the spring 25 in contact with the rear face 19 of the worm 15. Therefore the pin 23 will enter the nearest depression in the face 19 and hold the worm 15 against rs Nr oFE ci;

any involuntary rotation and, consequently, 1

hold the movable jaw- 13 in the proper position.

Since the pin 23 is entirely enclosed within the wrench-head 11 it is obvious that its function cannot be impaired by contact with an article when the wrench is laid aside. urthermore, the spring 25 is made of such strength that it will not permit a glancing blow upon the worm 15 to cause it to rotate and vary the adjustment.

While one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, I am notto be limited thereto since it is obvious that others may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claim.

Having'thus set forth my invention, what I claim as new and for which I desire the protection of Letters Patent is:

In a wrench having a head comprising a fixed jaw and a movable jaw, said head'having a guide in which projects the lower edge of said movable jaw said edge having teeth, a transverse slot opening into said guide, a worm mounted to rotate in said slot in engagement with said teeth whereby said movable jaw is moved toward or away from said fixed jaw, radial grooves in the rear face of said'worm, a pocket formed in said against the rear face of said Worm and into In testimony whereof I have affixed my head below said fixed j aw, parallel to said ing concealed and so located that any strain guide and opening into the rear Wall of said transmitted during the use of the Wrench slot, a pin and a spring in :said pocket said by the movable to said Worm moves the 10 spring acting at all times to force said pin latter iawayf'frorn'said pin.

said grooves therein whereby said Worm is signature. yieldingly held against rotation, the pin. be- FREDERICKCHARLES HER-BY. 

